U.K. Parliament raises concerns over attacks on Hindu minority in Bangladesh

Catherine West. File
| Photo Credit: ANI

The British government continues to monitor the situation in Bangladesh as members of Parliament raised concerns over recent attacks on the minority Hindu community there and the arrest of religious leaders, a senior minister said here.

During an urgent question tabled in the House of Commons by Labour MP Barry Gardiner on Monday (December 2, 2024), the Foreign Office Minister in charge of the Indo-Pacific, Catherine West said that she had been given assurances by the interim government in Bangladesh that support was available for minority communities during her visit to Bangladesh last month.

She stressed that the U.K. was one of the first countries with ministerial support to arrive in Dhaka to speak with Chief Adviser Professor Yunus and be “vocal” in support of minorities.

“We are aware of the statement of concern from the Indian government following the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das, a well-known Hindu leader, on sedition charges. The U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) desk is closely monitoring those developments,” said Ms. West.

“The U.K. government will continue to monitor the situation, including making representations from this House, and will engage with the interim government in Bangladesh on the importance of freedom of religion or belief specifically as it affects the Hindu community,” she said.

Tension between India and Bangladesh has been simmering since August 5, when deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India. The situation was aggravated further with Mr. Das’ arrest last week. The Hindu community in Bangladesh has regularly faced attacks on its members and places of worship during the widespread protests against Hasina’s Awami League-led government over a controversial job quota system.

The attacks have continued even after Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel laureate, took over as the Chief Adviser of the interim government on August 8.

Mr. Gardiner, MP for Brent West in London with a large British Hindu population, described the situation as being “clearly on a knife edge” and raised concerns on behalf of the “large diaspora populations in the U.K. and large Hindu communities with strong links to the community in Bangladesh”.

The shadow foreign secretary, Conservative MP Priti Patel, noted that the degree of escalation in the violence is “deeply, deeply concerning”.

“What we are witnessing now is uncontrolled violence in many quarters. We are watching with horror and shock as further violence spreads in Bangladesh. The thoughts of all of us in the House are with the diaspora community here and those affected in Bangladesh. These are deeply disturbing reports,” she said.

Her party colleague and chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for British Hindus, Bob Blackman, echoed the concerns to highlight that “Hindus are suffering with their houses being burned and their businesses ransacked”.

“Priests have been arrested, and I understand that two more were arrested over the weekend, and 63 monks have been denied access to the country. The clear issue is an attempt at the ethnic cleansing of Hindus from Bangladesh… We want to hear not just words of piety, but absolute condemnation of what is going on.

Religious minorities are being deliberately persecuted because of their religion,” said Mr. Blackman, MP for Harrow East in London – another constituency with a large British Hindu population.

Several other MPs raised concerns on behalf of their constituents with family in Bangladesh. British Sikh Labour MP Gurinder Singh Josan asserted that all communities were “appalled” at the situation and asked Minister Catherine West about the “engagement she has had with the U.K.’s Hindu and Bangladeshi communities on this issue”.

“Let me respond on how I have been learning in my role. I was delighted to go to the London borough of Brent to visit the Neasden Temple and learn about Diwali; I had an exceptional visit with the British Asian Trust and learned so much. That was a prelude to Diwali. After going to Bangladesh, I went to India. I am on a wonderful journey — I am falling in love,” responded the Minister, who was in New Delhi for talks last month.